Growing Pains
by King in Yellow
Summary: An idyllic vacation trip for the families of Kim and Monique will become dangerous for the next generation. Any age can be difficult as your desires, your expectations of yourself, and the expectations of others come into conflict. Best Enemies series.
1. A Spun Sugar Smell

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

NoDrogs created the twins, whose origin I changed in my stories.

Sometimes Best Enemies characters seem to write themselves. I originally intended Ron to pair with Yori, and Bonnie would briefly wed Señor Senior, Junior. Neither happened. At least it hadn't made it into any stories before things changed. I need to rewrite Team Possible II: City in the Sands because things changed. In R-E-S-P-E-C-T Monique told Will she planned to get her MBA before they had children. Sands, set a year after R-E-S-P-E-C-T, assumes that as reality. While that had been the plan sometimes plans don't work. I discovered I need to rewrite a conversation between Will and Kim in Sands to correct my error.

'Under the Willows', from Bob Franke's album _Brief Histories_ is a song that sticks in your head.

**A Spun Sugar Smell**

"So, Monique," Kim asked, "I don't think the Middleton yearbook listed you as, 'person most likely to own a yacht'." Four lounge chairs were lined up on the deck, with four adults filling them.

"Honestly," the black woman complained, "I'd think being on this should show you that Will and I just have a little sailboat."

"Your little sailboat isn't much smaller than this," Shego pointed out. "But this is a hell of a lot nicer. Find out when Will's cousin isn't using it again next year and we'll plan our vacation around it."

"David!" Will called to his oldest son. "See land?"

"Not yet."

"Well then," Shego declared, raising her empty glass high in the air, "Steward! I need another Sangria!"

Sheki appeared on deck. She had a black vest on over her swimsuit and a white dishtowel draped over her left arm.

"More ice this time," Shego directed.

"Anyone else need a refill?" the teen asked.

"I'll take another Sangria also, thanks," Monique said, passing her glass to Sheki.

Sheki nodded, and headed back to the galley.

Monique sighed, "I wonder how long until she'll talk with Kasy."

"I don't know," Kim responded glumly. "And I don't know if Kasy is really interested in Jason, or just trying to drive Sheki crazy, but she's doing a great job."

The green woman added her own comment, "I just wish Kasy had lost the coin toss and had to serve as galley slave on the way to Salem. I feel like she's the one who started it."

"Well, Sheki's doing her best to keep it going."

"And we do need a steward when we're on a yacht," Monique joked.

Will put in his opinion, "However, I feel it's inappropriate to have a fifteen year old serving drinks. What if she consumes some of it?"

"She's allowed a glass of wine at home with dinner if we open a bottle," Shego told Will. "I don't think a glorified wine spritzer will be anything for her than a thirst quencher. My guess is that she's drinking cranberry juice and seltzer just like her Mom."

Will turned to Kim, "I can't believe you accept that--"

"Accept is probably too strong a verb. But Shego's right. Sheki knows what wine tastes like - and she prefers soda."

The adults fell silent as Sheki appeared on deck with two glasses. Shego noticed that David ignored his navigation duties briefly to snap pictures of Sheki as she leaned over to hand the glasses to her and Monique. She needed to check out David's camera, her guess was that it was entirely filled with images of Kasy and Sheki in their swimsuits. Shego wondered if she should say anything to Monique, but figured David was a normal twelve year old and it was normal reaction to two very good-looking girls. She felt an odd combination of relief and insulted that he never took pictures of her and Kim, but then snapping pictures of your mother's friends might feel too weird.

"Jane, don't climb so high in the rigging," Kim called to her seven year old.

"I'm fine, Mom," the little redhead shouted back. "I can see Salem!"

"And that one is way too much like you," Monique said to Kim, laughing.

"Don't I know it," Shego muttered.

Will quickly finished his tonic water and ice, and placed the empty glass in the cup holder on the arm of the deck chair. "David, I'll take the helm."

"Ah, Dad, I could take it in to the marina."

"I'm certain that you could, and if this were our boat I would let you. But we want to be very careful." He took his son's place. "Kasy!" he called, "Furl the main."

"I could have done that," David protested.

"Yes, you could have. But I want you to help your brother furl the foresail. He isn't as good at it as he needs to be yet, and I want you to help show him how to do it properly - then you can start the engine."

"What about me?" Jane called from overhead.

"Think you can handle the jib?"

"Aye-aye, Sir!"

David and Louis finished their job first, and David headed for the engine room with his ten-year old brother tagging along.

Will frowned, "Kasy, you need to furl the sail tighter."

"It's tight enough."

"Not an acceptable answer, young lady."

She sighed with exasperation, "It's tight enough, _Sir._"

Kim intervened before Will come answer, "Kasy, he means furl it tighter. Will wants everything done exactly right."

Will suspected he heard a hint of sarcasm in Kim's 'wants _everything_ done right', but let it pass. She did hit him with small digs on occasion, but he had to admit that sometimes he felt like she insulted him when she had not.

A minute after the large engine throbbed to life the brothers reappeared on deck. "Can I radio the marina and find our slip?" David asked.

Will had already reserved a slip at the Hawthorne Cove Marina. But David wanted to handle the radio and Will reflected there was a small chance they had been reassigned and told his son to go ahead.

David Dwight Du, named for his late grandfather Dwight David Grant, resented being Duh-Duh-Du on the playground. Will and Monique felt they had made his life easier by changing the order of Monique's father's first and middle names - but Du was too easy a name for other children to make fun of. Son number two received his name from the ancestor he shared on both sides of the family, Louis Duquesne, the first in the family born in the New World. While he might take pride in family history at a later point in his life at the moment he hated being Louie-Du even more than his brother resented being David.

The dockhand who helped secure the boat was new. They were recognized in the office, however, from visits to Salem in earlier years. While Will filled out the forms and gave directions Kasy and Sheki asked to leave to look around Salem. They had their cell phones and headed in different directions after promising to be back at the bed and breakfast by six for dinner.

"Can we go to the Willows, Dad?" Will's younger son asked.

Will looked to his wife, who smiled and shrugged. "Do you have any money?" the Global Justice agent asked.

The boy nodded.

"Kim and I will follow them in a couple minutes," Monique promised.

"Jane, promise you'll stay with David and Louis," Kim demanded.

"I promise, Mom," the little redhead vowed. "I won't let anything bad happen to them." The three younger children ran out the door as the adults watched in amusement.

"And the scary thing is, she was serious," Shego remarked.

They all laughed. After the marina paperwork was finished Shego called a taxi and helped Will load the luggage for their two days at the bed and breakfast while Monique and Kim headed east towards Salem Willows, a small amusement park.

"So, how long until she starts to sing?" Monique asked.

"I'm surprised she hasn't started already. She will have sung it to Will before they even get here."

"Nah, Will never sings with her. She can always get you or me to join with her - she'll wait until they get here."

"We'll ask Will. Why doesn't he sing with us? He's the one who got us the Bob Franke CD."

"The man has amazing powers of concentration," Monique sighed. "That can be both good and bad. But every time we come to Salem I get that song stuck in my head for at least a week."

"We can thank Shego for that."

Will and Shego arrived at Salem Willows a half hour later. "Has she started singing yet?" Kim asked Will as soon as the two found them.

Monique glared at her, "That's it - put the idea in her head. Now it's your fault."

Shego just smiled, and started singing Under the Willows.

_There's a spun-sugar smell in the penny arcade,  
The old carousel is an endless parade  
Of horses and bunnies and camels and chicks  
Whose riders hang on to their peppermint sticks._

Kim joined her on the chorus

_And it's under the willows come walk with me, love,  
The sea at our feet and the sky up above.  
The children at play know there's nothing to fear.  
In the sweet Salem breezes, come walk with me, dear._

Monique held out, but appeared that she would soon fall victim to the infectious tune, as they sang the second verse.

_See the bathers, so bold as their noses turn blue,  
The young and the old build a castle or two;  
Though the tide may bring tears when those castles depart,  
There's a hope and a memory in each summer heart._

Monique surrendered to the inevitable, and joined them on the second chorus.

_And it's under the willows come walk with me, love,  
The sea at our feet and the sky up above.  
The children at play know there's nothing to fear.  
In the sweet Salem breezes, come walk with me, dear."_

Will sighed, wondering why he had introduced them to the Bob Franke's 'Brief Histories' on their first trip to Salem several years earlier.

_Now, the rich merchant families look haughty and high,  
But the big clipper packets have all passed us by;  
And the captains of legend have all sailed away,  
But they left us the sea and this fine summer day._

As the three women sang the chorus Will took Monique in his arms as she sang "come walk with me, love," and kept her from singing any more by kissing her.

Kim smiled, Will had obviously missed the first rule of parenting - never reward negative behavior - it only encourages more. _"Of course,"_ Kim reflected, _"he simply may like kissing her and will use any excuse."_ The redhead and the pale woman sang the last verse,

_Now, the storm clouds may roll on the wind far away,  
But what's that to us on a day like today?  
For the corn, it grows high; and the mill wheels still roll,  
And the Lemon Gibraltar is good for the soul."_

As they finished singing the chorus a second time Shego winked at Kim, "Know what I want now, Princess?"

Kim took the older woman in her arms, "Does it require the use of your lips?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It certainly does." Kim started to move her lips towards Shego, but the pale woman continued, "I want some Lemon Gibraltar. Let's find some."

"Gah! You're impossible." She turned to Will and Monique. "You find the kids. We'll call when someone has her sugar fix."

David stood to the side, watching Jane and Louis on the carousel. David was an uncomfortable age, not yet old enough to roam on his own like the twins but uncomfortable doing the things the younger children did for fear it would make him look childish.

"Do you want us to buy you a ticket?" Monique asked.

"No. That's for kids."

"Oh, well your father is buying tickets for the two of us, and I thought you might want to ride if we were."

"Well…"

She put an arm on his shoulder and delivered a one-armed hug, "We don't bite," she assured him.

"Okay, I guess."

The five were leaving the carousel after a couple rides when Kim and Shego found them. The two were carrying a small bag of Gibraltars, and a much larger bag of salt-water taffy. As the group walked down to the beach squabbles broke out over who had eaten more than his/her share of the taffy, and what the best flavor was, and why was someone eating all the good ones.

At the beach the children began building sand castles as the adults watched. But soon Louis asked his dad for help, and Jane called for her mom's assistance. Shego and Monique watched and waited for the inevitable. It didn't take long. Kim and Will, frequently in conflict at Global Justice were soon working to out-do the other by building a better castle. Monique sighed and poked Shego, "Let's go build our own over by David."

While the children rinsed off most of the sand by running into the chilly waters of the Atlantic the adults wanted fast showers at the bed and breakfast and they left Salem Willows early enough to wash before dinner.

Kim and Shego found Sheki talking with Monique after they'd showered and changed. The black woman wanted to check antique shops to add to the décor of her Club Banana store and the dark-haired girl had seen a couple promising places to check out the next day.

Shego checked her watch, "Kasy better hurry."

"She's not coming," Sheki reported glumly.

"What?" Kim asked.

"She called me to tell you. She found someone interesting to have dinner with. She promised to be back by nine."

As the group set out to make a small dent in the New England lobster population Kim and Shego brought up the rear. "Why would Kasy call Sheki?" Kim whispered. "They aren't talking. Did Sheki make that up so Kasy wouldn't get dinner?"

"The two are fighting, so Kasy called Sheki to rub her nose in the fact she found someone interesting. She's saying 'Ha, I've got Jason and any boy I want…' If she's with a boy. Hell, it's Kasy. She may be eating a burger at Mickey D's and lying about meeting someone just to make Sheki feel bad."

Kim wondered if her father had really gotten a list of convents he wanted to send her to back when she was that age. Sending Kasy to one sounded better all the time.

The families played cards at the bed and breakfast until bedtime. Kasy knew from experience to be back on time. After she lost Sheki as an ally her sister had turned a list of her strategies for ducking curfews over to their mothers. While they had both been grounded it had bothered Kasy more - her activities had been curtailed as surveillance of her activities tightened


	2. The Children at Play

Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns all the various characters from the Kim Possible series. All registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**The Children at Play**

Jane slipped out of bed first. Her sisters would probably not wake up for hours. She stripped off her pajamas, put on a swimsuit and pulled a t-shirt and cut-offs on over the suit, then padded across the hall to knock on the door of Louis and David's room.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes Louis opened the door, expecting to see his mom or dad. Surprised by Jane, and the fact he was in his pajamas - although she had seen him in his swim trunks, which revealed more skin - he modestly tried to close the door, but her hand kept it from closing all the way.

"Go away," he hissed through the partially opened door, "I'm not dressed."

"Well, get dressed. We can play pirates."

"That's only fun if we can go out on the boat."

"What do you think I mean? Of course we'll go out on the boat."

"But David--"

"He can come with us."

"I don't know if he'll take the boat out it--"

Jane pushed the door open and went over to David. "Don't do that," Louis warned as it looked like Jane planned to poke his brother.

Jane poked David, "Hey, wake up! I want to go play pirates."

He didn't even open his eyes, "Go away. I don't play pirates anymore."

"Since when?"

"Since now."

"You can be captain."

"No."

"Can we go sailing?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's not our boat."

"Did your Dad say you couldn't?"

"No. But he didn't say I could."

"Oh, you're afraid you can't do it?"

"I could do it."

"Are you sure? It's bigger than your boat."

"I could do it."

"You really think you could handle it?"

"Dad even said I could yesterday when we came in."

"Oh, so your Dad said you could handle it."

"Well… Yeah, but I don't think he--"

"Do you have the keys for the engine?" Jane asked eagerly.

"They're here on the dresser," Louis called.

"You can give us a sailing lesson," the little redhead suggested to the older boy. "Your Dad said we needed more practice."

He sat up in bed, "Fine," he grumbled. He threw his pillow at her, "Get out of here and let us get dressed."

"I'll write a note saying where we've gone," she promised.

Twenty-five minutes the trio arrived at the marina. The man on duty recognized them and waved as they headed towards the dock. Perhaps they'd forgotten something they needed, it wasn't his business to stop them since Will had left permission for them to go on board.

Sometime later Monique nudged her husband, "Time for breakfast. I'll give Kim and Shego a call."

"I'm surprised the boys didn't wake us up."

"I think we exhausted them yesterday. David did a fine job on the trip up, didn't he?"

Will smiled, "He certainly did. He's really growing up."

"Don't say that, he's still our baby."

Will put an arm around Monique, and she lay with her head resting on his chest. "Ever regret he's not as young as we talked about before we got married?" she asked.

"Sometimes," he admitted, and kissed the top of her head. "I could have enjoyed a few years alone with my wife."

Monique smiled and ran her hand over his side and chest. "Would have made the MBA a little easier too."

"Do you ever have any regrets?"

"That my husband is so virile and manly that he knocked me up on the honeymoon 'cause he wasn't careful enough?"

"I feel relatively certain that the carelessness was mutual and that she shares some responsibility for the results."

Monique laughed softly, "Your sister thought we were showing off."

He licked her ear, "I have always found you an irresistible object."

She turned her face to him and they began to kiss, gently at first but with increasing passion.

"Hold that thought 'til tonight," she warned at the end of the kiss. "I want some breakfast - and Sheki has some places she wants me to check out."

"Some days I think your store is more important to you than I am," he pouted.

She laughed, "I have you every day. This is our only shopping day here. Now, you can use the bathroom first while I call Kim and Shego."

"I hope you realize that I may not be able to wear a swimsuit today because of you," he complained as he slid out of bed.

"Poor baby. We can leave the others playing cards and go to bed early tonight."

The adults had almost finished breakfast when Sheki dragged herself into the dining room.

"The stores open at nine?" the black woman asked.

"Yeah," the teenager yawned.

As she started her breakfast she asked her mothers, "What's on for today?"

"You and Monique are shopping this morning," Kim began "Will gives the kids one of his traditional history walks around town--"

"Do people still think you're made up as a witch when they see your skin tone?" Shego interrupted. "I remember that used to really bother you."

"Still does," Sheki admitted. "At least Jane isn't so green… Oh, there was a note from her on the desk in our room. She and the boys were going out on the boat."

"David wouldn't take it out to sea, would he?" Monique asked Will.

"I doubt it. He knows it's not ours. I guess he still likes to play and they're just playing on it."

"Why don't you come with Sheki and me?" Monique invited her husband. "You were just saying you wanted more quality time with me."

"I didn't mean shopping. Besides, I don't know if I'm much use to you shopping."

"I just want you with me… And you can carry anything small. Anything big I'll have shipped home."

"What about Kasy?" Sheki asked.

"She's in protective custody," Kim assured her. "After that stunt she pulled yesterday, skipping dinner, she'll be glued to me and Eemah today."

* * *

The large motorboat rocked gently on the waves. "I just want to know what dickhead forgot to bring tackle," Frank complained. "What in the hell are we supposed to say if the Coast Guard asks why we're here?"

"We don't gotta tell the Coast Guard nothing," his partner assured him. "And you're the dickhead who set the sale up out here. You should'a thought of tackle."

"Ship," one of the thugs warned.

"You four, in the cabin," Frank ordered. His palms were sweating. He normally wouldn't bring this much muscle along for a heroin deal, but this was the biggest sale he'd ever arranged. He wouldn't have even considered it, but the buyer had been purchasing smaller amounts for more than a year and talked about regular buys in large volume to be set up every two months. It would simplify Frank's life tremendously if he could reduce the number of sales. In case the buyers were simply wanting to rip him off the four men in the cabin had a large arsenal of weapons at their disposal.

Sly, Frank's partner, let out a low whistle as he examined the on-coming vessel through binoculars. "If that's them we don't need to worry 'bout them stiffing us. Damn thing's a yacht."

"Lemme see," Frank demanded. "Doesn't sound like 'em."

The yacht was only under partial sail. David didn't want his crew to go out too far before heading back to Salem.

"What the hell?" the drug dealer pondered. "I see three kids."

"Maybe their parents are downstairs."

"I think they call that below. I don't know if there are parents are not… But the law wouldn't have kids on a boat…" Frank grinned. "Always wanted a yacht. Maybe we just got one for free."

On board the yacht David was running his brother and Jane ragged with trimming sails – raising and lowering to give them practice. Had their parents told them to do it the kids would have protested what they were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, but it simply made them feel more independent that they could handle the craft away from the watchful eyes of parents.

The trio had noticed the powerboat, but thought nothing of it – charter boats with sport fishermen were fairly common. The two younger sailors had taken down all the canvas again when David announced they needed to turn around and head back to Salem. In the few minutes of drifting until they could get back under sail the motorboat approached the yacht.

"Ahoy the ship," a large man who didn't look like he was dressed for fishing called, "What're you kids doing?"

"I'm giving my brother and a friend some sailing lessons," David answered.

"We're pirates!" Jane called from the rigging.

"Pirates?" Frank said nervously. Maybe this was a trap and men with guns would be appearing on the deck of the ship.

"We're not pirates!" David yelled at Jane. "I don't play that anymore."

"Well I'm a pirate," Jane shouted back. "We took the yacht!"

Frank still wasn't sure what was happening, but an idea was forming in his head, "Do you kids have parents on board?"

David didn't answer, realizing this fell under the category of talking with strangers that might not be appropriate under the circumstances. Before he could think of a properly evasive answer and start back Jane shouted, "No."

"Sly, take the boat over, check to see if there are adults on board or if these kids have stolen the ship," Frank told his partner.

"If there are no adults?" his partner whispered. "Dump the kids?"

"Keep 'em alive for now. Lock 'em up in a cabin. If Coast Guard comes by we was bein' good citizens and returnin' lost property. Take two of the boys with you."

David was shouting orders to Louis and Jane when he saw three men from the motorboat get into an inflatable tender and start the outboard. "We're going back to Salem!" he shouted at the trio. He wished he had the motor running on the yacht.

The dinghy reached the ship and Sly and one man climbed aboard while the third tied the small boat to the larger vessel.

"Where your parents?" Sly demanded. "We think you're stealin' this."

"If you let me radio Salem my Dad will—" David began.

"Nix on the radio," Sly barked. "We're puttin' you three in a cabin if there ain't nobody else on board."

"You can't do that!" Jane protested.

"I think we can," he responded, pulling a gun out from his shoulder holster. "You kids stealin' something like this? Probably big reward for bringin' it back." Sly realized Frank was right. The kids should not be killed now. His first conviction came from a car he had stolen. The Lojack brought the cops right to him. He had no idea if a ship had Lojack, but the story he was returning the yacht for a reward might fly in court if they were picked up before they could get the yacht in somewhere and refitted. The second thug had climbed on board. "Cheeks, find a cabin, put these kids in it and watch the door." The man raised one eyebrow in a curious manner. "Don't hurt nobody," Sly warned, "we're takin' this boat back."

Cheeks winked and smiled at his boss.

"Vinnie, look in the other cabins. Was these kids really the only people here?"

The second thug nodded.

Louis seemed the least concerned of the three children in the cabin. "Once we get back to Salem they're going to feel bad about not listening to us."

David had listened to enough conversation about his father's work that he couldn't share his brother's optimism. "I don't think they'll take us back to Salem."

"But—" his brother protested.

"David's right… And they won't leave any witnesses." The young redhead went over and pressed her ear against the cabin door. It was a couple minutes before there was anything to hear. As a general rule children hear better than adults. As a further general rule girls hear better than boys. The men outside the door didn't realize their conversation could be overheard.

Sly wanted to leave now, find someone to fence the ship, and get it off their hands as quickly as possible before someone came looking for it. Frank didn't want his partner and two of his gunmen leaving before the buyer arrived. Further, the men on the yacht could offer crossfire if the buyer tried to pull a fast one. The two had argued briefly, then Sly sent Vinnie to warn Cheeks they needed to keep watch on the kids for the time being.

Jane couldn't hear every word Vinnie told the man watching the door, and she had no idea why the men had been out here in the first place, but she heard enough to know that her fears, and David's, were real.

Back in Salem the adults and teenagers had joined forces for lunch. Will looked at his watch. "I wonder what happened to the boys? It's time to eat."

"They're too busy playing to notice the time."

Will raised an eyebrow, "Too busy to notice it's time for lunch?"

Monique laughed, "Okay, Sherlock, give David a call."

David's cell phone rolled over directly to voice mail - the yacht was out of cell phone range. Will frowned and called the marina. He looked upset as he finished the call. "What's wrong," Monique demanded.

"They took the boat out."

She patted her husband's arm, "David can handle it, can't he?"

"Very probably, but I'm still disappointed that he took it without asking."

"Should we rent a boat and look for them?" Shego asked.

"They'd radio if there's any problem."

Kasy felt slightly pleased to have someone besides her in trouble.


	3. Though the Tide May Bring Tears

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. I take the blame for OCs.

** Though the Tide May Bring Tears**

If fear could be measured it would be difficult to tell which of the three was the most frightened. David, however, also felt the burden of guilt with the fear. He was the oldest. He had taken the yacht. Anything that happened to his brother and Jane was his fault. Perhaps Jane should have felt guilt for her role in the adventure, but she didn't. She had meant no one any harm, and the fault was entirely on the crooks holding them hostage.

"W-what are we going to do?" Louis asked, his voice shaking.

"We're going to get out," Jane answered. "We have to. Does the hull port open?"

"Probably not," David answered. "Hull ports usually don't open – water might get in." He turned and looked anyway. While the hull ports didn't open on his family's sailboat there was indeed hinges on these.

The three went over to examine one closely. Jane gauged the size, "I can wiggle through that."

"I think I can too," Louis seconded.

"No way I can fit," David predicted.

Jane thought a minute, "We shouldn't all go. Someone's got to stay here and say stuff and make noise. The guy outside the door needs to think we're all still here."

"But what are you going to do?" David demanded. "They have guns."

"They don't want to kill us, at least not yet. They don't know we all do martial arts."

"But—" Louis tried to protest.

"Unless you've got a better idea, don't say anything," Jane warned.

"Give me a little boost," Jane requested of David after getting the hull port open.

"Be careful," he warned, feeling even more guilt that Jane and Louis were trying and rescue them all and he was helpless.

Louis felt better doing something rather than just waiting to find out what the kidnappers had in store for them. "I'm just glad we got a port on the other side from their boat."

David helped his brother out, then began the terrible wait of not knowing what the two were doing and fearing the worst.

They heard Frank shouting at Sly as they clung to the side of the ship, "Find some tackle. I want us to look like we're fishing."

"Isn't it too late for that?"

"Nah, Richmond ain't here yet. Still need a story if we're stopped."

"They put Lojack on boats?"

"How the hell would I know? But that's why we want to look innocent."

The two heard Sly heading below and Jane peeked over the side. She noticed a man standing with his back towards them, staring at the ocean. He stood too close to the radio for them to try and call for help. Jane ducked down, "We got to try and get to the galley," she whispered.

"Why?"

"'Cause someone will go there, and I want to hit them with a big pan."

The two could hear Sly, rummaging around for tackle as they quietly crawled over the deck and went below to the galley.

Having found a couple rods Sly sent Vinnie back in the tender with orders to give them to Frank and return. He scanned the horizon then, seeing no approaching craft, headed for the galley – there had to be something to drink on board. Louis didn't have time to hide before the man saw him, "What the hell are—"

Sly did not expect the nukite, a spear-hand blow, to the throat. He dropped to his knees, coughing and in pain when Jane hit him on the head with a skillet. She felt slightly disappointed, but not surprised with the result. It was an aluminum skillet and the first blow barely stunned him. He might have cried out, but the blow to the throat had left him incapable of speech. The second blow knocked him to the floor and dented the skillet. Jane, feeling that circumstances dictated the job be done well, hit him a third time for safety.

"What do we do now?" Louis whispered.

Before Jane could answer, they heard Cheeks shout, "Hey, what was that?"

He didn't receive an answer, but there was no outer lock on the cabin door he was watching and he heard the sounds of someone inside so he couldn't leave his post. He shouted again, and again heard nothing.

A couple minutes later Vinnie made it back to the yacht. He was surprised to find no Sly on deck and shouted below, "Where's everybody?"

"Watchin' the damn kids," Cheeks called. "I heard something and Sly hasn't answered."

Vinnie let Cheeks know he found nothing wrong in the first two cabins he checked. When he opened the door to the galley he saw his boss stretched out, face-down, on the floor, the door of an overhead bin swung open and a sack of flour lay by his head, flour scattered over the floor. "Found him," Vinnie called. "He must have opened a door or something. Looks like he knocked himself out."

"He okay?" Cheeks shouted.

"Let me check." He knelt down to check on Sly's health.

While Louis had set up the scene with Sly, Jane's search of the galley yielded a larger, stainless steel skillet to replace the one Sly had ruined with his head. She regretted the sound it produced upon introduction to the back of Vinnie's skull. On the positive side Sly provided something of a cushion to keep the sound of the second man hitting the floor of the galley from being too loud.

"What was that?" Cheeks shouted, his own nerves were bothering him now. His demand for information met with silence. He had to find out what was happening. They had found no one else on board, but there might have been places for someone to hide that they missed on a fast look. The one thing he could be certain of was that he wanted a hostage along with him when he went to check on what was happening. Any one of the three children could serve well, the little redhead would prove ideal – he could control her with one hand and keep his gun in the other. "Get against the far wall, kids, I'm comin' in!"

There were no sounds inside the cabin. Cheeks figured the children were cowering against the far wall and pushed the door open. The room appeared empty. He didn't enter. There was probably room for a kid to hide behind the door – but there certainly was not room for three. He scanned the small cabin from the hall outside. Were the kids small enough for two of them to fit in the tiny closet he could see? One would fit. Two might, if they were jammed in tightly. Three seemed impossible. He kicked the door, hard. It crashed against the wall and started to bounce closed – there had been no one standing behind the door. Cheeks stopped the cabin door from slamming shut and entered the room. "I know you're in here, come on out."

The hull port was closed on the inside. The kids had to be here. There were a couple large drawers under the bed platform. He cautiously pulled one out with his left hand, keeping his pistol ready in his right. The girl might have fit in the over-sized drawer, but only a couple t-shirts were there. The next one contained shorts. The thug jerked open the closet door and initially saw only shirts, but one pair of legs was visible below them. "Okay, kid, I—"

The contents of the CO2 fire extinguisher hit him full in the face. The sudden cold and chemical foam blinded him, before he could clear his vision the fire extinguisher collided with his skull.

Will Du insisted that anyone interested in sailing must possess skill in tying knots. Cheeks wasn't able to move anything as Jane came through the door, stainless steel skillet in hand.

Sly and Vinnie were dragged to join Cheeks, and David trussed them up also.

"Now what?" Jane asked. "If you start the engine could we outrun them?"

"Not in that motorboat they've got."

"Then what do we do?"

"Can you stuff these guys in a sail locker while I radio for help?"

"They pulled some stuff on the radio." Louis answered. "I looked. Why'd they do that?"

"So they could say they wanted to radio and ask for information, but couldn't," his brother guessed.

"What he said," Jane seconded. "That mean we got to wait here for the other guys to come over so we can get them?"

"Yeah," David answered glumly. He wondered why he had agreed to this excursion. He knew better. If anyone got hurt it was his fault.

"Cool," Jane grinned.

The thugs being heavy, and the children being young, resulted in some bruises as the three bound and unconscious crooks were hidden in sail lockers. It would require a fairly thorough examination of the ship to find them.

The three children weren't sure how much time they had to prepare before the others came over to check on their friends, and knew they would have to stay hidden as they worked. But the trio prepared as best they could.

Frank looked at his watch. Anxious for the sale he had arrived very early and he found the long wait boring, especially now that Sly was over on the other boat.

"Sly, what's happenin'?" he shouted at the yacht that drifted a few yards away. He received no answer and shouted again. Frank frowned, "Hey, Dom, go over and see what Sly's doin'."

"The little thingie is over there," Dom answered – pointing to the inflatable tender tied to the larger boat.

"Well swim over. The dickhead needs to keep the kids healthy 'til we get back to shore."

Grumbling about the errand, Dom jumped into the water and swam over.

Louis, who had been left on watch, quietly warned his brother and Jane, "Incoming. One."

"Sly!" Dom shouted when he climbed onto the yacht's deck. He waited a few seconds and heard no response. "Vinnie! Cheeks!" He frowned, Frank's guess that they were doing something other than watching for the buyer was probably right. He headed below to warn them.

David pulled the tripwire tight and Dom screamed loudly, but not long, as he tumbled down the steep stairs. When he arrived at the bottom it was distinctly possible that the stairs had left him disinterested in his job, but Jane had always been told that if something was worth doing it was worth doing well and introduced him to Mr. Stainless Skillet – who had left such an impression on Dom's friends.

The scream had carried perfectly well across the few yards of water. "Dom! Dom! What the hell is goin' on?" Frank bellowed. He and Tony waited on the deck of the motorboat, straining for any sounds and hearing nothing.

"Richmond's fucking with us," Frank guessed.

"Should we get out of here, head home?"

"Hell no! Sly and the others weren't prepared. We're goin' over with our guns out."

"How we gettin' over?"

"Swim over, get the inflatable, bring it back."

"I, uh, don't swim so good."

Frank sighed, "Keep me covered. I'll get it. Anything moves, you shoot."

Fifteen minutes later, Frank still dripping, the two stood on the deck of the seemingly deserted yacht. Louis had rigged a large noose on the deck in what he hoped looked like a casual enough pattern that someone might step inside – but by luck or design neither man fell into the snare.

The two men debated the best course of action. It was clear no one was on deck. Neither man felt any desire to go below deck. Frank informed Tony that his job depended on his following orders and checking below. Tony informed Frank that he was resigning from his employment, effective immediately, and that if Frank were curious he could damn well check it out himself. Frank pointed a gun at Tony's head and reminded him of the company retirement program and suggested that his health plan required he follow orders and check below.

Tony's good fortune continued as David failed to snag him with the tripwire on the stairs.

Tony's luck ran out because of his failure to identify the proper source of his fears. He expected a large man armed with a gun, and didn't take seriously a space just small enough to hold a seven-year old girl armed with a stainless steel skillet. It is unclear if the next event should be credited to Tony or Jane as a piece of good luck, but the hired gun collapsed on top of her as he fell. As was true with the unconscious Vinnie falling on top of Sly the sound of the fall was muffled, but as the girl struggled to get out from beneath him she wasn't certain if she could call it good news.

On deck Frank heard a clang, but nothing further. "Tony!" he shouted, "Tony!" His first thought was that it was Richmond, this had been set up to steal the heroin. Then he had an even worse thought. What if it was Sly? What if his partner was trying to cut him out? Frank began to back towards the spot where the tender was tied. He was going to get back to the motorboat and get the hell away from there.

David hadn't been certain how much pull a single bungee cord might exert. But he had tied down the boom and used every one of the many bungee cords he could find, pulling them tight. Theory said that when he pulled the small cord the knot holding the boom in place would come undone and the heavy piece of wood would sweep across the deck.

With the limited time, and the burden of working unseen, David had been unable to fix his trap as well as he would have liked. But, as Shakespeare remarked, "'Tis enough, 'twill serve." The boom came towards him and Frank had nowhere to run and no one to shoot.

Frank got off two shots as he tumbled into the water. The more successful of the two came within a hundred and fifty yards of a passing seagull.

Louis scrambled onto the deck first and grabbed a boat hook. Frank had held two pistols, but lost one going overboard. "Drop the gun," Louis shouted, and pushed Frank under water with the boat hook. Frank got off one more shot before struggling back to the surface. He managed to hit the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Louis saw the crook still held his pistol and didn't give him time to breathe or aim before pushing him back under the surface. "Drop the gun!" Frank was now too busy to try another shot at the Atlantic Ocean, but not yet ready to drop his weapon. A third trip below the surface made him more cooperative.

David, holding a pistol he had taken from one the other men, came on deck and told his brother to back to a safe distance as he ordered Frank to climb on board and lie face down.

Jane appeared on deck with a pistol she had liberated. David didn't know if the girl knew how to fire the gun, but was certain the man had no idea what Jane was capable of. "Cover him while I tie him up," David suggested.

"Can I shoot him, please?" she asked.

"No. We don't want to kill anybody."

"I won't kill him. Just in an arm or a leg, please?"

David sincerely hoped Jane was just saying this to scare the man on the deck. She was certainly scaring him. "Only shoot him if he tries anything."

After securing the last of the criminals Louis asked, "What now?"

"We go to their boat and radio the Coast Guard," David announced.

"We can't make them walk the plank?" Jane asked.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Maybe."

Louis peered in the direction of Massachusetts as the two talked, "There's another boat coming our way! Maybe it's the Coast Guard and we can tell them what happened."

"Maybe it's my moms and your dad," Jane suggested pessimistically, "and we're in trouble."

"And it might be just someone fishing," David pointed out. "But these guys weren't fishing. They were waiting for somebody. And somebody might be on that boat."


	4. The Storm Clouds May Roll

Disney owns all of the Kim Possible characters.

**The Storm Clouds May Roll**

Richmond felt certain he had heard gunshots. The well-dressed man wanted to turn around and head to port, but Manuel had refused.

Richmond knew he was not the first figurehead the Mexican had hired. He did not ask what happened to the earlier men in his position. He realized that he himself was nothing but a small-timer, and he didn't need to know the plans of this man who looked so slow – but was the most cunning and vicious brute Richmond had ever encountered. He did not ask what happened to the heroin he purchased. He did not ask why Manuel had requested the very large sale – perhaps a test to see how much of the drug Frank could actually get his hands on. Richmond suspected that his boss would one day seek to eliminate Frank – either as a middleman in the supply chain or because Manuel worked for a drug cartel that sought to replace Frank's supply chain with their own.

"What do you see?" Manuel demanded. He stood at the wheel as Richmond scanned the water.

"Two boats. One looks kind of like this one. The other is bigger, a fancy thing… What makes something a yacht?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Should we go back? There weren't supposed to be two boats."

"Do you see anybody?"

"No."

Manuel cut the speed drastically. "Keep watching. We're going to make the buy if we can."

The well-dressed Anglo had seen nothing as Manuel stopped their boat between the other two. They could see no one on the deck of the smaller motorboat.

"Hello!" Richmond shouted. "Who's here?" He wished Manuel would let him hold a rifle. He knew he would be the target if someone appeared at the deck of the sailing vessel with a gun.

"Help me," a child's voice wailed. "Help me please!"

A young girl in white with wild red hair appeared at the railing. Her skin was ghastly pale, with dark circles under her eyes. She hoped they were too far to notice that the pale came from a liberal dusting of flour from the galley, with a little cinnamon under her eyes.

"Who are you?" Richmond demanded.

"Radio the Coast Guard. Ask them to help me," the girl wailed.

The well-dressed man turned to the second man in the boat. Manuel shook his head, "No way in hell."

David, treading water at the back of their boat, heard the answer. They failed the test. He worried about Jane and prayed she didn't get hurt. And prayed she could stall them long enough for him to get his job done.

"Ask her what happened," Manuel whispered.

"What happened?" Richmond called.

"Daddy said something was wrong with the crew. Mommy and daddy sent me to bed and told me to stay. I heard shots. In the morning everyone was gone. I'm all alone."

"When did that happen?"

"Every night… Every night I hear the shots and there is no one here in the morning."

Richmond could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. "What do you mean, every night?"

Jane stared off vacantly into space.

"Every night… It seems so long…"

"Ask her what happened to the people on the other boat," Manuel hissed.

"Where are the people from the other boat," Richmond shouted.

"Other boat?" Jane stared in wonder as if seeing it for the first time. "I don't know… All alone… I'm all alone…"

David took a deep breath and started to swim underwater. He had to swim from the stern of their boat under the yacht to come up out of sight of the men on the motor boat. His lungs were on fire before his head broke the surface and he sucked in air greedily.

Then he mentally dope-slapped himself for listening to Jane. What was he thinking? That kid was seventy pounds of trouble. Of course, she was in a panic when she had made her suggestion. They were all panicked by the approach of the second motorboat. But he should have considered why her idea was wrong instead of doing it.

Manuel had enough of the foolishness. He pulled a pistol from his shoulder harness, and the pale girl disappeared.

The disappearance was no great feat. The deck of the yacht was much higher than that of the motorboat. When Jane saw him reach for the holster she dropped to the deck and crawled over to the steps going below.

The Mexican had no idea what was happening, but there would be no sale of drugs that day. He expected men with guns to line the rail of the sailing vessel at any moment and he started the engine on his boat to speed away. Nothing happened. The engine revved and revved, but the boat drifted on the ocean, going nowhere since David had disconnected the propeller. He swore loudly in Spanish and feverishly worked to get the tender in the water. He grabbed the case with the money and dropped down.

"Wait for me," Richmond shouted and ran to join him.

Manuel didn't care if the other man joined him or not, but no gunman had appeared and he gave the other man five seconds to scramble into the inflatable with him for the short trip to the first speedboat. Manuel, and the case, went into the other boat first. He breathed a sigh of relief to find the keys in place and started the engine as Richmond climbed in.

Once again the engines revved. Once again Manuel jammed the throttle to full speed. And once again nothing happened. David had disconnected the propeller from the first ship before the second speedboat ever arrived.

"What do we do? What do we do?" the well-dressed man whined.

Manuel slapped him. "Keep your head."

"Can we make it back to land in the inflatable?"

"Maybe… Probably not enough gas. If the tide's against us we're dead. You know what the tide's doing?"

"No."

"Something loco here. I don't believe in ghosts. Get your gun. We're going to the big boat. If anything moves - shoot."

Manuel kept the case with the money in one hand and a pistol in the other as his hireling paddled the dinghy over to the large boat.

"Tell them we can deal," Manuel whispered as he indicated Richmond should climb onto the deck of the large vessel first.

"Coming aboard, don't shoot!" the well-dressed man shouted as he climbed to the deck. "We just want to make the purchase and leave… Can we talk about this?" He had reached the deck, and saw no one.

He saw no one and heard nothing but the faint creaks and wind in the rigging typical to a sailing vessel. He turned and shrugged at his boss, "Don't see anybody."

Manuel had to holster his pistol to climb up. He never let go of the case. "Ask if we need to re-negotiate the purchase price," he ordered.

"We can offer a little more," Richmond shouted. "Be reasonable. There is profit for everyone."

"What are they talking about?" Louis whispered.

David put a finger to his lips to shush his little brother. He suspected it had something to do with the waterproof bag firmly taped to the hull of the first motorboat just below the waterline. He had found it as he disabled the craft.

The two men on deck grew impatient. Manuel recognized it was a war of wills, and his figurehead was cracking from the strain.

"Is it some kind of a ghost ship?" the well-dressed man asked nervously.

"I don't believe in ghosts. I believe in money, and someone wants mine. They will come up. We need to wait."

"But what if there is no one below? What if Frank got on this ship and vanished? If we stay here we'll--"

"Shut up! I don't know what Frank's doing. Maybe he wants to rip me off. Maybe he's going to pop up with a bottle of champagne and say it's a party."

"You think that?"

"Not really. But it's more likely than ghosts."

Richmond breathed a little sigh of relief, "If he does?"

"I'll shoot the son-of-a-bitch for trying to scare me."

There was another fifteen minutes of waiting. David continued to kick himself for disabling the powerboat so the men couldn't go back.

Richmond had begun to crack from the strain, pacing the deck and starting at every creak of the yacht or cry of a seabird.

"I'm going downstairs," he told his boss.

"That's what they want you to do," Manuel hissed.

"If there's no one there I'm taking one of the little boats and trying for shore. I don't want whatever happened to get me too."

The Mexican considered him a fool, but didn't stop him. He moved over so he could watch the well-dressed man's descent into the ship.

"Empty!" Richmond's voice came up the stairway as he looked into the first cabin. "Empty!" "No one in this one either. Flour all over in here, looks like something dragged through it."

Despite having seen a young girl, or a ghost that looked like a young girl, Richmond's quick glances into the cabins were designed to find full grown men and didn't take into consideration hiding places small enough to conceal pre-teens.

Manuel heard a dull clang, and the sound of something falling. "I'm just the hired man," he shouted. "You got the boss. You want the money? I'll give you the money. Just let me go. You don't need me. I'm nobody." If they were stupid enough to let him escape he'd make sure they were all dead within a week. No one would ever live to brag about pulling one over on him.

Silence.

Manuel considered radioing friends for help, but found the radio disabled. He found a shiny tray however, and propped it up where it reflected the top of the stairs leading below deck. Then he sat down to wait. Anyone coming up the stairs would be unable to see him. He would test their nerves.

The children grew impatient below deck. "Maybe he got in the dinghy and left," Louis suggested.

"We'd have heard the motor,"

"Maybe he's paddling until he gets away far enough we can't hear."

"We wait," David announced firmly.

"I want to look," his little brother insisted.

"He's probably watching the stairs with his gun drawn," David argued.

"Well, I'll go out a hull port and look over the bow. He won't be looking for me there."

David's curiosity was almost as bad as his brother's and he stopped objecting as Louis carefully pulled a chair over to the hull port and climbed out. The younger brother barely put his head up at first, ready to retreat in case he saw anything. He saw nothing and stuck his head up a little higher, carefully scanning the deck to see if he could see the remaining man. Back inside he reported, "I don't see anything. It looks like he's gone."

"He can't be gone," David argued.

"Sure he could," Jane shot back. "Like Louis said, maybe he got into the dinghy and paddled away."

"We need to wait. The adults will come looking for us."

That seemed to make Jane's mind up. "Then he'd shoot them! I'm going up!"

"No!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" She headed towards the cabin door. David put out an arm to stop her, but she pushed it aside.

"Are you taking a gun?" he asked.

"No. Mommy never used a gun when she saved the world. Besides if he sees a gun he might shoot me."

"He might shoot you anyway."

"I think he's gone. But if he's up there he'll try and take me prisoner."

"Yeah, so?" David responded, unsure how that could help them.

"I don't think I'll make a good prisoner."

David wasn't sure what to do, but fighting with the girl didn't seem like a good idea. He finally sighed, "Try to get him to come down the stairs. I'll get the trip wire set up so I can pull it."

"He's gone," Jane predicted.

Louis climbed back out the hull port to watch and see what happened.

Manuel had almost dozed in the hot sun when reflected movement snapped him awake. The reflection was too imperfect to be certain; something small had become visible. His curiosity piqued, he cautiously peered out the cabin. A small girl, her arms raised over her head, was climbing up on deck.

Jane looked around. She didn't see anyone, but she knew there were places that weren't visible from where she stood. She moved toward the rail to check and see if the dinghy was still tied alongside.

Manuel let her move away from the stairs before he stepped out, pistol drawn. "Stop right there."

"Sure," she agreed cheerfully.

"What in the hell is going on?"

"I don't know. I'm all alone."

"No fucking way. What happened to the men on the other boat?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me!"

"I don't know. It was just there when I woke up."

"Where are the people who were on it?"

"They were gone."

"Will you knock off the shit? What's going on?" Why are you out here?"

"I… I, uh, stole, this boat a couple days ago, and… Are you the police?"

"Tell me a story that makes sense or I'll fucking kill you."

"I stole this boat. But I really can't… I don't know what… I didn't mean to, it was just--"

"Shut up about this boat! What happened to the men on the other boat?"

"I don't know! I don't know!" I was sleeping. I don't know what to do, how to run this. I thought I heard gunshots. When I went out on deck I'd drifted over by that boat - or they were coming to me. I don't know! And there wasn't anybody on board, I swear!"

"And the man who was with me?"

"I hit him with a big skillet, knocked him out, and then I tied him up."

Manuel held her by one arm and pushed her towards the stairs. "Are you going down to untie your friend?" she asked.

"No." They reached the top of the stairs and he shouted down. "I've got the girl. I kill her in thirty seconds if you don't come out with your hands up. One… Two… Three…"

"I'm the only person on board except your friend!"

"Then I drop your body over the side before I free him. Seven… Eight…"

"Nobody else! Really!"

"Then, kid, your Momma should have told you not to steal. Eleven… Twelve…"

The bones on the top of the human foot are relatively fragile. Even a seventy-pound child can stomp down hard enough to break a couple of them when the one they attack is wearing canvas deck shoes and the child stomps with sufficient conviction. The faith of Jane's conviction was, if not strong enough to move mountains, certainly strong enough to break bones.

Under normal circumstances Jane would not have been able to throw the large man, but with one foot in pain and his weight on the single remaining good foot he was off balance enough to go down hard.

He kept his grip on Jane, and she went down with him.

She struggled desperately to pull free, but he kept a tight grip on her. He tried to club her with the pistol, but she was twisting too much to make it easy. He managed two glancing blows, one of which hit her on the shoulder and the second on an arm, before Louis tackled his gun hand. Manuel tried to shake the boy loose with one arm so he could use his pistol and hold the girl with his second arm. He had the physical strength to lift both children, one with each arm, but keeping them under control as they twisted and fought like wildcats was another matter. And he lacked a third arm to deal with the twelve-year old who ran up the steps, armed with Jane's weapon of choice, and joined the melee.

While David tied up Manuel, Louis opened the sail lockers so their earlier captives didn't suffocate. Jane swam over and tied a line from the bow of the first motorboat to the stern of the second, then another line from the bow of the second boat to the stern of the yacht. She also made sure the tenders were fastened well. Jane had suggested that David reconnect the propellers and she and Louis could each take a speedboat and race back to Salem. David had vetoed the idea. After he finished tying the last crook David briefly examined the yacht's radio. He thought he could fix it fairly easily, but didn't want to spend the time.

He dove into the ocean, swam to the first boat and radioed the Coast Guard, then swam back to the yacht and started the engine. With Jane looking astern to verify her knots were secure the flotilla headed back towards land.


	5. There's a Hope and a Memory

Disney owns all of the Kim Possible characters.

**There's a Hope and a Memory**

A variety of thoughts went through the minds of those at the marina. Will felt disappointed with his son for taking the ship without telling anyone. Jane had thought she said that in the note she left, but had failed to ask permission. Will wasn't worried about his sons, he had faith in David's ability to handle the craft. Shego, with less faith in the sailing ability of the Du offspring, worried about Jane. Kim felt a smaller combination of both disappointment and worry, but kept telling Will he was overly concerned. Kasy took secret pleasure in the prospect of Jane as designated problem child and stood looking bored as the adults talked about appropriate action. Sheki and Monique were still shopping. Both were mildly concerned, but couldn't believe there was any real problem or David would have radioed.

Will's cell phone rang once, and the Global Justice agent had it to his ear before it rang a second time. "Hello? … Yes … Yes … WHAT!"

Kim and Shego both stared. "What's happening?" Kim demanded. He waved to silence her as he continued to listen.

"The children are safe?" Will asked.

"What's going on?" Shego demanded.

"I'm sorry, someone is talking here," Will told the person he was talking to on the phone. He looked at the women, "Can you be quiet so I can hear?" Kim and Shego managed to stay silent, but only with difficulty, as Will continued the conversation over the phone. "Look, did you receive a clear report the children were not hurt, a report that there were no serious injuries, or are you lying to me because you are a clueless incompetent who feels a need to say something reassuring when you haven't a bit of useful information?"

Will's mouth tightened as he listened. "Stop," he told the speaker. "Can you give me their position?" He listened briefly then closed the cell phone. "Incompetent," he muttered. He looked at the women, "I'm renting a boat. Kim call Monique and say we're going out to find the kids."

"What do I say about the kids? Are they okay?"

"Just say we're going out. The woman at the Coast Guard headquarters says they are fine, but doesn't demonstrate a high level of credibility."

* * *

By the time the four headed away from Salem in a rented motorboat a Coast Guard helicopter had left a man on board the yacht. And while the Ensign argued with David over the wisdom of heading for shore or waiting for the Coast Guard Cutter to arrive David had fixed the radio and gave his father directions on finding them. The Ensign assured the parents that the children were fine except for minor bruises and advised them to return to Salem and wait.

To the relief of the children their parents replied they would ignore his advice.

When they found the yacht a Coast Guard Cutter was alongside with a boarding team on the sailing vessel. The seamen had already found enough weapons to be suspicious of any craft approaching them. There were weapons trained on the motorboat as it pulled alongside, but Louis's cry of "Daddy!" relieved most of the tension.

Will told Kim to take the helm and climbed on the yacht. To the surprise of her mothers Kasy was almost as fast in abandoning ship.

Kim ordered Shego to stop when it looked like she was going to leave also, "I want to see Jane."

"Somebody's got to stay onboard."

"Why me?"

"Flip you for it?" Shego suggested. "Got a quarter?"

"Let me look," Kim answered. By the time she found a coin and looked up Shego was already on the yacht.

David ran to his father, who dropped to his knees and took the boy in his arms. For the first time in years David burst into tears as his father hugged him tightly. Louis joined them a minute later, slightly uncomfortable with the fact his brother was crying, and was swept into the embrace.

Kasy, feeling a sense of guilt that she had somehow wished this on her sister, found Jane. The older girl a noticed a bruise and some scratches, but the seven-year old basically looked fine and Kasy breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you okay?"

Jane laughed, "That was fun! I'm going to be a hero!"

Shego arrived in time to hear Jane's words, and resolved to wash her daughter's mouth out with soap when they got back to shore. She then grabbed both girls for a hug.

The Boarding Officer gave Will and David a lengthy lecture on safety, responsibility, and parenting. Even if appropriate, the lecture was entirely unnecessary. Both knew the truth of everything he said already, and neither could possibly feel any worse than they were already feeling.

* * *

Once back in Salem, Monique jumped on Will also. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

"Because I didn't know what was going on."

"And that makes it all right?"

"If I don't possess any clear information in regard to a topic I can scarcely pass on any reliable intelligence now, can I?"

"Don't go being reasonable, Sherlock. I'm mad."

The three younger children were all ravenous and the adults uncertain what to do about dinner. On the one hand some sort of punishment for the children going out without permission seemed called for. On the other hand the fact they were all home safely meant a celebration was in order. The result of their deliberations was a trip to a pizza buffet.

At the adult booth Shego stared at the slices of mushroom and black olive pizza on her plate. "Why do I feel like we're the ones being punished? We're on the coast. There is actually good seafood available that hasn't been frozen or flown for a thousand miles, and we're eating the same lousy pizza we could get in Middleton."

"We're not eating pizza," Kim reminded her, "we're celebrating the kids being safe."

"Celebration tastes a lot like pizza," Shego grumbled. She raised a slice of pizza in the air, "A toast, to the kids being safe."

Kim and Monique grabbed their own slices of pizza and 'clinked' the rims of their pieces together.

"To safety," Kim seconded.

"Amen," Monique added.

Will did not join in the 'toast'. Under the best of circumstances he had difficulty being silly, but Monique could tell that something was troubling him deeply. She glanced over at the kid's table, David looked as miserable as his father - even more wretched than the two teens who had been assigned to watch pre-teens.

When the group returned to the bed and breakfast the younger children wanted to stay up for the news, but were so obviously exhausted that their parents sent them to bed.

Kim was about to propose cards when Monique took Will by the hand and announced, "We're turning in. Will and I need to talk."

Shego yawned, "I'm beat."

"Don't stay up too late," Kim warned the twins. If her comment, "And don't go out," seemed directed at Kasy it was probably because it was. She turned to Shego, "Want to walk along the beach before we turn in?"

"This afternoon left me drained. I'm voting for bed."

"I need to talk with Mon," Shego said as they got ready for bed. "I've never asked if Will is as wild as you are."

"Excuse me?"

"You repressed types are either hotter than hell in bed, or cold fish. I happen to know you're amazing--"

"Thanks awfully," Kim said dryly.

"Hey, it's a compliment. I'm just wondering if Will gets all studly when the bedroom door is closed or if Monique has to go to bed with a mackerel."

"And what difference does it make to you?"

"Hey, inquiring minds want to know… But we need to talk about Jane. She said something this afternoon…"

* * *

Down in the living room of the bed and breakfast Kasy and Sheki stared at each other. "So, want to see a movie?" Kasy suggested.

"Mom said we weren't supposed to leave."

"You know she just doesn't want me going out alone. If you're along she knows I won't get in trouble."

"What if they check on us?"

"C'mon. They're either making whoopee - in which case they won't check on us. Or they want to sleep - and they won't check on us."

"I don't think--"

"I'll buy tickets if you buy popcorn and soda."

"No way! Popcorn's more expensive than tickets! I'll buy tickets."

The first half of the walk to the theater was done in silence. "Sorry I lied to you," Kasy finally apologized.

"I thought you like Jessica."

"I do. But I like Jason too."

"If you want Jessica, stop seeing Jason."

"Jessica's too young."

"So are we, to be running around the way you are!"

"Hey, I'm trying to apologize."

Sheki sighed, "Yeah, maybe you are… I guess I'm still mad at you though."

"Hey, I'm mad at you too. You told them my best escape plans. But you're still my sister."

"Got to ask Eemah if there's any way to break that," Sheki muttered, then they both laughed.

* * *

Monique felt her stomach tighten with fear as she and Will sat in their room and he told her about what had happened in greater detail. She understood even better why David had seemed so upset

"When the last man was holding Jane and threatening to kill her he didn't know what to do. If he surrendered the man might have shot them both - and what would have happened to Louis? If he said nothing the man might have killed Jane... No twelve-year old needs that kind of torture."

"No one should have to face choices like that."

Will described how David had broken down when he arrived, then told Monique of his own feelings. He finished with, "… and I feel like the worst father in the world."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't go out immediately when we discovered they were gone… For that matter, I should have gone down to the marina in the morning and verified where they were. I didn't care enough to--"

"Hush. You aren't a bad father. David is very responsible, and because of that we trusted him more than we should. That isn't a sin. We all make mistakes."

"He could have been killed! It would have been my fault."

"No, it wouldn't have been. If he slipped in the shower would it be your fault because you weren't there to catch him? If a drunk driver jumped the curb and hit him would it be your fault for saying he could be outside?"

"But--"

"It was poor communication. The kids thought they said one thing. We thought they said another."

"I should have checked."

Monique sighed, "I've got to figure out some kind of punishment."

"For David?"

"For David."

"I don't think we need to punish him. He learned his lesson. He feels worse than anything we could do to him."

"And that is exactly why we need to punish him."

Will frowned, "I'm lost."

"He'll punish himself worse than anything we can do to him with his thoughts. We assign a punishment… Maybe three miles of cleaning beach by your parents… And he'll feel better, he's been punished so he can live with himself."

"That will work?"

"It will for David. He'll see it as doing the time for the crime."

"He didn't do any crime, he just--"

"I know that. But, like you said, he's punishing himself. If we give a punishment it will be easier for him to forgive himself."

"It sounds like a trick."

"Maybe it is, but it will help him… Will, I think you need to be punished too. You're beating yourself up over what happened."

"I messed up. They could have been killed."

"You weren't listening to me!"

"Yes I was. You tried to make me feel better. But I wasn't a good father. I didn't check on them."

"You definitely need to be punished. You can do beach patrol with him."

"But I know this is merely a psychological trick you are playing and it won't help."

Monique put her forefingers in her temples, "Concentrate. Program yourself to accept that the punishment absolves you of any need to keep mentally beating yourself up."

"It won't work."

"If your mind tells you it will, it will. I swear, you falling in love with me was the only time your heart told your head what to do."

Her words brought a half-smile to his lips. "So, you are discounting the possibility that my mind fell in love with you?"

She raised one eyebrow skeptically, "Oh really?"

"You are beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, and have a wonderful sense of humor. My head told my heart it had permission to fall in love with you."

She laughed, "Please tell me you don't really believe that."

"No," he admitted. "I fell in love the evening we met. And every day my heart reminds my head it was right."

Monique stood, moved to her husband's chair, sat down on his lap and gave him a hug and kiss. "Do the cleaning with David. Anytime you feel you were a bad dad just tell yourself you've already been punished for your mistake."

He sighed, "I hope you're right."

"When am I ever wrong," she demanded, and tickled him.

"Never," he laughed. He gave her a kiss. "After today… Hope you understand I'm not in the mood I was this morning."

"That's okay. I'm not sure I am either."

She moved to get off his lap, but his arms tightened around her. Will frowned slightly, "You diagnosed my problem. What is yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"Monique, I can tell when something is bothering you. Is it what the boys did? Is it what I failed to do?"

She sighed, "You know me too well, Sherlock. But this is something else… I wanted to talk with you about something tonight and, well, I don't think I can now."

"I don't understand."

"Of course not, you're a man."

"Please?"

"Not after today. It's just not a good time."

"Something is troubling you. And that troubles me. I've got enough guilt on me for today. I don't want to worry that you are mad at me for something else."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Then tell me, please."

She sighed again and thought for a minute. This was not a good time, but he would worry if she said nothing. She worried he might be more upset if she told him. "Let's get in bed first. This might be a long talk."

He looked even more worried.

"Not mad at you," she assured him again. "I'd like your arms around me while we talk."

After getting ready for bed Monique snuggled up beside her husband. "I was wondering… Do you think the boys would like a little sister?"

He stared at her in shock, "You're pregnant?"

"No, silly. But seeing the kids grow up… Somehow I forget the diapers and the earaches and one a.m. feedings and I want another one. I want to see first steps again, to hear her say 'mommy' and 'daddy' for the first time."

"You seem awfully certain it would be a girl."

"I have two brothers. Your folks had two sons and a daughter. It's fate. If we have a third child, she'll be a girl."

"Which would be far more comfortable for her than if she were a boy," Will teased.

"Will, I'm serious."

He grew thoughtful, "How long have you been feeling like this?"

"I guess since Thanksgiving. I saw Bonnie and Becky and wondered what our daughter would look like. Shopping with Sheki today… I thought about how nice it would be to have a daughter I could go shopping with."

"Of course, we might have a Kasy or a Jane."

"I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry. You just hit me with this, and I don't know what to say. What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I want you to listen. I want to talk about it with you. Part of me wants you to talk me out of it. Part of me wants you to hug me and say that's the most wonderful idea you've ever heard."

He chuckled softly. "I can see myself doing either, or both. How soon… Is there any sort of time frame for this decision?"

"Two months?"

"That seems appropriate. No decisions until then?"

"Not until then… And if we try to have another baby, could you not be so good at it?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, we conceived David on our honeymoon. And, I swear, I must have been pregnant twenty-three hours after we started trying for number two. You don't need to be so efficient when the whole process is so much fun."

Monique smiled as her husband began to gently caress her body, "Just talking with you makes me want to practice," he whispered.

"You don't need any practice," she giggled. "You're already very good. I think what you need tonight is some stress relief."

"It has been a day I'm never going to forget."

"Umm, let me see if your loving wife can take your mind off it for a little while. You'll sleep much, much better when I'm through with you."

* * *

David had trouble sleeping, nightmares attacked every time he started to close his eyes. He had finally managed to doze when a persistent knocking on the door woke him up. He stared at the clock, it was only three hours since they went upstairs to bed. "Who is it," he hissed at the person on the other side of the door.

"It's me, open up," Jane told him.

"Go away!"

"It's time for the news. You got a set in your room?"

"Yeah, but--"

"No fair, we don't have one. Let me in."

"I want to sleep."

"You can sleep after the news."

He went back to bed. She kept knocking.

"Fine," he told her, "but you go back to your room as soon as it's over."

"Okay," she agreed cheerfully.

Louis managed to sleep through the exchange, but not the pillow she hit him with. He was more willing that his brother to watch the news. David got back in bed, but curiosity kept him awake during the broadcast.

"That's no fair," Louis protested at the end of the nightly news.

"Stupid Coast Guard took all the credit," Jane agreed. "We did all the work."

"Go back to your room," David reminded Jane. "And don't ever ask me to play pirates again."

"Nah, pirates is old stuff," Jane agreed as she headed for the door. "Next time we play heroes."

--The End--


End file.
